NOTE: I stand corrected on the fingering of an upright bass… the string tunings are indeed the same, however due to the scale (length) of the instrument, the actual spacing of the notes is slightly different than you’d find on an electric bass.

Using Thirds to Create Very Cool
Mini-Chords on Your Bass

In the last video I showed you how you can use the octave pattern to add a little spice to your bass playing. A very simple trick, with a great payoff.

In this video I showed you how you can take the concepts from the first video and the second, merge them together, and come up with a chord-like pattern that sounds really rich and very melodic. Please note this isn’t an actual chord, as you’re missing the 5 note.

I use this 1-8-3 pattern quite frequently now. If I want a little extra punch, I might hit all three notes at once. If I’m looking for a very mellow sound, I’ll probably hit the root note first, then pluck the other two strings at the same time to really let that third ring through. The key is to really play around with it until you can make it your own.

In Decoding the Bass Guitar I give you the tools you need to find these types of patterns on your own. The technique is simple, but powerful… and there are many other patterns like this just waiting for you to play them.

Have you heard of my No Weasel Clauses Satisfaction Guarantee? I give you a full 90 days to try out Decoding the Bass Guitar, and if you’re not 100% satisfied, I’ll give you a full refund. So I’m taking on all the risk here – you only end up paying if you improve!

The Simplest & Easiest Pattern
You Can Use To Spice Up Your Bass Playing

In the last video we learned that we can look at the fretboard in terms of numbers, and of course numbers lend themselves to patterns very well, so therefore we can also look at the fretboard in terms of patterns.

This video shows you the simplest pattern of all – the octave pattern (it’s basically a right angle if you’re a visual learner). You can use it anywhere on the bass fretboard, and you’ll get an octave.

The best part about using an octave to spice up your playing is that you really, absolutely, categorically, cannot go wrong. Think about it – you’re playing exactly the same note!

This is just one of the patterns that I teach in Decoding the Bass Guitar. It is simple, but powerful… and there are many others like it. Even if you already knew this pattern, I guarantee there are things in the full lesson that will be new to you. In the lesson you will learn how to take this concept much, much further, and apply it to different areas of your bass playing.

Introduction to Bass Theory
& Fun Things You Can Do With It!

The concept of approaching the scale as a set of numbers, rather than multiple sets of letter-name-notes, is very powerful and can be applied in many different ways to your playing. This concept really is the foundation of Decoding the Bass Guitar, though in the lesson you will learn how to take this much, much further.